(no subject)

[skygiants]

After reading the book I posted about yesterday, I felt desperately in need of a comfort read, and you know that pretty much always ends up taking me back to Diana Wynne Jones. And anyway, I have been meaning to reread Deep Secret for ages!

I love Deep Secret ridiculously. Partly that is because of our cast of characters!

RUPERT VENABLES: AKA "The Prat," a rather self-satisfied young computer programmer who dresses very dapper, bitches at his elder brothers a lot, and also happens to be one of the Magids who helps keep the universe on track.
MAREE MALLORY: A vet-in-training and potential Magid with some serious depression issues; very capable of being both glum and angry at once; has a tendency to hold up traffic by getting out of the car and doing witchy dances in the middle of the road.
NICK MALLORY: The most creative and self-absorbed fourteen-year-old you ever saw; also, DWJ's loving homage to Neil Gaiman.
STAN: A ghost jockey.
JANINE: You can tell she's evil because she wears truly hideous designer sweaters.
ANDREW: Rupert's absentminded-inventor neighbor, who may possibly be an integral part of the complex fatelines entangled in the plot, or who may just want to borrow a cup of sugar.
ROB THE CENTAUR: Very pretty. May be a secret heir to the throne of an interdimensional space empire. Likes cheeseburgers.
ASSORTED SFF CON-GOERS: Are generally cheerful and great at cosplay!

And partly that is because of the plot, which looks something like this:

KORYFONIC EMPIRE: We're a corrupt interstellar empire on the verge of dynastic collapse!
STAN THE GHOST JOCKEY: Sorry, Rupert, we'll have to put the space opera on hold, you need to find a wizard apprentice!
DIANA WYNNE JONES: SFF CONVENTIONS ARE LOLARIOUS.
RUPERT: Wait - but - I'm very confused right now. Wait, why are there centaurs? This was supposed to be a space opera! Or a wizard trainee session! Also what the hell I don't need to be buying five million sci-fi novels in the dealer's room, I came here to do serious wizard work.
CONVENTION GOERS: OMG, dude, those are AWESOME centaur costumes.
RUPERT: *facepalm*
THE CLIMAX: Bet you didn't notice me coming, did you! That's because I'm half space opera collision and half total crack.
(CONVENTION GOERS: OMG, dude, those are AWESOME interstellar weapons carriers.)
THE CLIMAX: ANYWAY WHO CARES, the characters went through some development, the love story is very sweet, and SFF CONS ARE LOLARIOUS.
THE READER: . . . . I can't argue with that.

In other words, guys, you totally want to read Deep Secret.

Comments

[spence-reid.livejournal.com]

I love Deep Secret!! It is space opera+crack+centaurs, which is amazing! DWJ rules.

[scifantasy.livejournal.com]

OK, I'm a sucker for a good novel set at a convention, so I think I'll have to pick this one up.

[skygiants]

It is totally one of my favorites. I know people who can have problems with DWJ's throw-everything-in-the-kitchen-sink-and-watch-people-deal-with-the-chaos style of plotting, but WHATEVER, I LOVE IT. *_*

[skygiants]

You definitely should! I can loan you if you want - it's actually one I own, and, having just reread it, I'm not likely to need it again for a while.

(One of the things I really like about it is that - unlike some of the other convention novels I remember you reviewing - you can tell that DWJ really does enjoy the cons and the people who go to them; I mean, the crazies are there, but there's also the parts where the protagonists are cheerfully sitting around dorking out with random con-goers and surprising themselves with how good of a time they're having. And the filk room even plays a role!)

[kattahj.livejournal.com]

Yes, all that times eleventy! Deep Secret is one of my absolute favourite DWJ novels for all of those reasons.

Also, I claim I don't have to read Pride and Prejudice and Zombies, because Deep Secret is Pride and Prejudice and Centaurs and that is SO MUCH MORE AWESOME. And I'm in love with Maree.

[skygiants]

HAHAHAHA SO TRUE. And infinitely more awesome! Also, that is fair, because Maree is totally fabulous. (Maree and Rupert are way, way up there among my favorite DWJ romances - they're both so flawed and amazing and ridiculous. I defy anyone to find a better antagonistic first meeting than the scene on the bridge.)

[kattahj.livejournal.com]

That scene is so freaking fantastic. She holds up the road for everyone! He has people applauding her humiliation! Nick sneaks out of all responsibility as usual! (It probably says something about me that it wasn't until fandom kept calling Nick selfish that I realized that Nick was selfish; to me he seemed perfectly normal. *g*)

[skygiants]

He is SO DIGNIFIED. And SO AFFRONTED. It's amazing! (I got that Nick was selfish, but it also did not in any way seem unusual to me for a teenaged boy. *laughing* I do kind of love the sneaky implications that while Rupert is going around fuming about Nick's selfishness right and left, his older brothers are like "HA! Takes one to know one, Rupert 'Houdini' Venables.")

[tiltingheartand]

This is hilariously accurate, and also, :D.

[kattahj.livejournal.com]

YES! And on the subject of Rupert's brothers + dignified & affronted, I love how Rupert is all AM DOING SERIOUS WORK and Will is all WHATEVS. WEDGIE! until Rupert relents and behaves like a people person for a little while. :-)

[oneechan19.livejournal.com]

Time to add another book to the list. *eyes* That's... at least 50 awesome sounding books from you alone. I'M NEVER GONNA GET THEM ALL READ AAAH.

[skygiants]

Basically this book makes me just want to hang out at sff conventions with DWJ all day long. :D

[skygiants]

HAHAHAHA YESSSSS. Rupert is like 'I R SRS MAGID. THIS R SRS WORKING,' and Will is just like LOLOLOL. *giggling* I love how well DWJ always does siblings; if my little brother ever tried to be a srs bsns Magid, that is exactly how I would act towards him too. >.>

[skygiants]

>:D >:D >:D MY PLAN PROCEEDS ACCORDING TO PACE.

(Look at it this way: better to have too many on the list than to risk running out!)

[ceitfianna]

I adore Deep Secret so much, its one of my favorites of hers.

[kattahj.livejournal.com]

Yeah, all her siblings are made of win. Even Maree and Nick have the same report, despite the cousin thing. Sometimes I get a bit jealous; my own siblings are a tad too old for me to have quite that connection, though I still recognize certain things.

...Of course, then I remember the parent side of the equation and am not jealous anymore. I think Adara and possibly Sally are the only functional parents she's ever written. (Don't get me wrong, I love some of them - like Quentin and Catriona - as people, but they're not functional parents.) Obvious reasons are obvious and all that.

[scifantasy.livejournal.com]

Very cool. I probably shouldn't get it from you right now--I'm busy enough as it is--but soon.

[skygiants]

You can tell that Diana Wynne Jones was really just having fun when she wrote it, which I think is half the reason that it's so good.

[ceitfianna]

Yes, I love finding books like that. I need to write a paper about Robin Hood, but can't find the words.

[skygiants]

Hah, yeah, DWJ parents I am preeetty okay not to have. Though, let's see, I always thought Mig and Chris' mom whose name I am blanking on at the moment was pretty decent, too. And Christopher and Millie actually seem like okay parents. (Guardians, maybe not so much. But Roger and Julia are okay!) And - hmm - the parents in Homeward Bounders are all pretty good except Helen's, although that's mostly so Jamie can be ripped horribly away from them . . .

[skygiants]

Hah, yeah, isn't it coming up on finals for you? Probably not the best time. But yeah, when you want it, just shoot me an email! Or remind me to bring it next time there's a housefilk or something.

[scifantasy.livejournal.com]

That'll do. My luck, there'll be a housefilk right around finals, say, May 1.

(Especially because I'm going down to Philly on May 2 for a wedding, back on May 3, first exam on May 4.)

[skygiants]

Ah, that's always frustrating. You'll figure it out, though!

[skygiants]

(OH EXCITING. Good luck! At least you get a bus/train ride for studying . . . uh, if you're one of those people who can read on the bus.)

[ceitfianna]

I have a start on it and I do have time, its just not being there which is a pain.